Mail-bag-exchange apparatus.



G. W. BURKE, R.'J. RODGERS LD. PERKINS.A

MAIL BAG EXCHANGE APPARATUS.'

APPLIOATION Hum 11011.28, 190s` Patented May 25 l zsnxmsim Wir/@$555 c'. w. BURKE, E. J. EoDGEEs E En. PERKINS.

MAIL BAG EXCHANGE APPARATUS..

APPLIoATron FILED Nov. 2s, 190s. Y

Patented May 25, 1909.

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CHARLES W. BURKE, RIGHARDJ. RODGERS, AND JAMES D. PERKINS, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

i'AIL-BAG-EXHANGE APPARAT Application filed November 28, 1908.

sive means for exchanging mail hetiveen moving trains and stations, said inea-ns effectively transferring the bags irrespective oftheir- Weight or the speed of the train, Witl'iout. danger of dropping said bags and Without danger of injuring them.

A further object is to provide mechanism that can he employed irrespz-ictive of the direction of movement of the train and Withvo ut tlie alteration of any part or parts, said mecl'ianisin being exceedingly simple.

Still another object is to provide mechanism which is adjustable with the track that in case the grade is changed oy the worlnnen, the mechanism will still 'oe in properly cooperative relation to the mechanism carried hy the cars running on such track` The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of the trackside mechanism. lllig. 2 is a vertical sectional vier.'Y therethrougl'i and through a portion of a car having the cooperatingl mech anism thereon. 3 is horizontal sectional vienT on line 3 3 of Fig. Fig. e. is an end the tracli-sidc mechanism. 5 is a sectional view substantially on the line 5v5 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals designate correspondingparts in all the figures of the drauf'ings,

ln the embodiment of the invention disclosed, the track-side mechanism. is preferably mounted on ties 6 that are extended beyond the usual ties 7 of the railway track, these ties being secured to the rails-in the ordinary manner. As disclosed tvvo projecting ties are employed at each station, and mounted on the ends thereof are standards 8 supporting a casing 9. This casing includes a bottom 10, a roof 11, and a rear Wall 12. The side, which faces the track, is

Specification or" Letters Patent.

atented May 25, 1909.

Serial lo. 464,995.

however open. ilipositely inclined inner Walls 12a are locatec. v-.fithin the casing and are joined to an upright 13, thus producing opposite open-ended bag-receiving pockets 15a. The said inner Walls are provided With horizontal slots 15 having flared mouths 16, the `walls of said slots heing provided With iii-ear plates 1'?.

The to he delivered to the trains are arranged in the space or recess formed hetween said inner lls 12a, and to this end, a pair of oppositely .si-ringing arms 18 are employed arranged to detachahly engage rings 19 located on the ends of the bags. Positionino plates 2() are located in said recess on opposite sides of the slots and have their central portions cut away as shown at 21. The arms 19 as already stated are capable of swinging in opposite directions, hut their movements are limited hy brackets 22, said brackets also serving as holding means for the inner Walls 12a. i

rhe car-carried mechanism includes in its makeup a roch shaft journaled, as shown at 24 on opposite sides of the door-way of the car, said rock shaft entending across the doorway. This roch shaft has an inwardly extending handle P-5 Which can he yieldingly held in a horizontal position hy cable 26 secured to a spring 27 that is attached to the floor of the car. Outwardly divergent delivering and receiving arms 2S secured to the rock shaft and terminate in inwardly extending hooks 29. These arms 28 are so arranged that when in a horizontal position they vcill pass through the slots 15 in the inner Wall of the bag-receiving pockets.

The operation of the apparatus is substantially as follows. The mail hag 30 to he delivered from the car to the station is hung upon the rear arm 28, being fastened in place hy a cord 3l that is easily broken. The bag 82 to he delivered from the station tothe car is hung upon theV arms 18', in which position it extends across the path of movement of said arms 28 as will he obvious. Assuming the parts arranged as disclosed in the drawings, it will he evident that as the forwardly extending arm 28 passes the station mechanism, it will enter the casing 9, and striking the central portion of the bag, will detach it from the arms 19. Said bag will follouT along the arm 28 until it is caught in the confined space between the secured end of the arm and the rock shaft. The rearwardly extending arm 28 carrying the bag 30, in turn passes through the casing, and said bag will enter the rear pocket 14. As it cannot pass through the slot l2, it will remain in the pocket, the cords 31 being broken.

It will be evident that this structure is very simple, and there are a number oi'l advantages i'orit. In the irst place, there is no danger oi' the bags dropping beneath the wheels oi the train, with the consequent destruction ci' their contents. Then again, il' the grade of the track is altered, inasmuch as the ties 6 must be changed, the track side mechanism will always remain in proper cooperative relation to the car-carried mechanism. rIhe apparatus is so arranged that it can be used irrespective of' the direction of movement oi the train, the bag to be transferred to the station being always placed upon the rear arm 28. It will thus be evident that these arms perform dual functions. When moving in one direction, one arm constitutes the bag-receiving device, but when moving in an opposite direction, said arm acts as a delivering` device.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages o'l` the herein described inventionwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details oil construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing any ci the advantages oi the invention.

what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In mail bag exchange mechanism, the combination with track-side mechanism, of car-carried mechanism, one ol' said mech anisms comprising oppositely disposed pockets having inner walls, d elivering means located between the pockets and capable oi swinging in opposite directions, and means i'or limit ing their swinging movements, said limiting means constituting holding means i'or the pocket walls.

2. In mail bag exchange mechanism, the combination with track-side mechanism including oppositely disposed open ended pockets having inner inclined walls provided with slots, oi' swinging arms located between the pockets l'or supporting a bag transversely of said slots, and car-carried mechanism comprising a rock shai't having oppositely extending bag-delivering and receiving arms that pass through the pockets and through the slots in the inner walls thereof.

In testimony whereoil we aliix our signatures in presence o'il two witnesses.

C. W. BURKE. It. J. RODGERS. J. D. PERKINS.

I/vlitnessesz i P. W. BUNTYN,

l H. J. HORTOIE.

Having thus fully described our invention, 

